The food

The menu at O&B’s first-ever sports bar is full of fancy pub grub. Chef Ryan Lister has included some of childhood favourites like cottage pie, sausage rolls and rarebit with cauliflower cheese. The British offerings have been rounded out with slow-smoked meats (brisket, baby back ribs) and a few large-format plates meant for sharing, like beer can chicken. Many of the dishes share one common ingredient: beer, which is found in all of the brines, sauces, batters and gravies.

A pretzel stick is served with house-made mustards (that are, of course, made with beer). $7.

The Scotch egg comes with a spicy, Warthog ale–infused mustard. $5.

Pork sausage roll with a charred eggplant sauce. $8.

Bacon tempura is served with beer-infused teriyaki dipping sauce. $7.

This charcoal-cooked root vegetable salad is topped with ribbons of fresh heirloom carrots, pickled onions and sumac. It all sits on top of a navy bean hummus. $12.

The drinks

Eight taps are dedicated to Big Rock’s signature brews, while another two pour seasonal and experimental small-batch beers brewed in-house. A small selection of other Ontario craft bottles and cans, including GLB and Collective Arts, is also available. There are cocktails, too, a few of which integrate beer, like the Rocky Mountain High made with brown ale, vodka, Campari and Triple Sec.

Some of Big Rock’s signature beers.

They can make six different beers at a time. Right now they’re playing with a blood orange Belgian wit.

The space

The two-storey space still has most of its heritage bones (wood beams, exposed stone and brick) intact. A 196-seat subterranean dining area is topped by a ground-level bottle shop that sells growlers and six packs until 11 p.m., seven days a week. Come summer, there’ll be a 100-seat patio, complete with fire pits.

Here’s the lobby.

This is the main-level dining area and bottle shop. (And that’s brewmaster Connor K. Patrick behind the bar.)